International Agricultural Development: Funding (Hansard, 28 January 1992)

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their current contribution to the budget of the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, we are contributing £11.3 million to the third replenishment agreed in 1989.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, I thank the noble Earl for that Answer. However, does he agree that the International Fund for Agricultural Development is the most cost effective of all United Nations organisations, especially as regards helping small farmers, many of whom are women, to produce more food? Further, can the noble Earl tell the House why the British Government have apparently refused this year to contribute to IFAD's special famine relief fund for Africa, whereas other countries are contributing to it?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, I agree with the noble Lord that IFAD has carried out good work. However, so far as concerns the special programme for Africa, he will recall that in 1986, when we made our first contribution, we clearly stated then that it was a one-off exercise. The noble Lord was remarkably unspecific with regard to the pledges that other countries have made. Therefore, it may help if I tell the House that only Kuwait, Sweden and Nigeria have made firm pledges; France, Belgium, and the Netherlands have made conditional pledges upon a wide measure of support; and the United States has not made a pledge on the second phase.

§ Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
My Lords, the fact that the Government said that it was a one-off exercise in 1986 is surely not a reason for not contributing to the famine relief programme set up by IFAD at this time. Given the appalling suffering in the Horn of Africa and other African countries due to the failure of crops and bad harvests and so on, is there not an unanswerable case for at least making some contribution?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, I agree that we should support IFAD's work. We believe that the special programme tends to divert resources and funds away from its general work. We believe the fourth replenishment, negotiations for which are due to start in Qatar in April, is the area that needs to be sorted out to put IFAD's financing on a proper basis so that it can do its work in the future.

§ Lord John-Mackie
My Lords, is any direction given to those countries as to the best way to increase production? I am thinking about plant breeding, because in this country the plant breeder is the main source of our increased production. It should be emphasised to those countries that plant breeding is most important.

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, I take note of the noble Lord's statement.

§ Lord Stoddart of Swindon
My Lords, I wonder whether we have our priorities right. Does the Minister agree that we spend £2.44 billion a year subsidising agriculture within the European Community? Much of that money is fraudulently converted by the Mafia. While we are prepared to make such huge grants to develop countries, why are we not prepared to make peanuts available to countries which need developing?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, we have a substantial bilateral and multilateral aid programme for a wide range of developing countries. When I considered possible supplementary questions, I failed to take into account that the noble Lord would bring up the European Community. I apologise to him for my oversight.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, does the Minister accept that, if, as he says, a number of countries are prepared to contribute conditionally to the special fund—I believe that France has pledged £22 million to the special fund—there is surely an opportunity for the British Government to make their own pledge so that that conditionality is met and a much larger sum is provided for the food producers of Africa?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, as I said, France's pledge is conditional. Germany, Japan, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Switzerland all contributed to the first phase but have said that they do not intend to contribute to the second phase. I hope that the noble Lord will agree that it is much more important to get the fourth replenishment right and to put IFAD's funds on a proper basis for the future.